GB Team – Martin Perry

Date and place of birth: 08/05/1994, Paisley
Home town: Paisley
Lives: Sheffield
Family: mum Avril, dad Paul, brothers Paul, Thomas and Jamie
TT Class: 6
Current world ranking: 22
International debut: 2013, Hungarian Open
Major titles: European team champion 2017

Martin’s story:
The youngest of four brothers Martin has always had a passion for sport and played a number of sports before being introduced to table tennis in 2011. “My brothers always played football in the back garden so I would join them,” says Martin. “I played football through primary school but once I started high school I started playing for the basketball team and the rugby team and also played badminton and hockey.”

As a member of his school rugby team Martin was invited to a Scottish Disability Sport summer camp where he had the opportunity to try other sports, including table tennis, and where he met the person who was to have a huge influence on his sporting career, Terry McLernon MBE.

“I fell in love with table tennis that first day even though I could barely hit a ball,” he recalls. ”Terry said if I enjoyed it I could come along to Drumchapel TT Club and get some training and I haven’t really looked back since. Terry has coached so many promising players through his system at Drumchapel – the club has a great history and that all comes through him.”

In 2013 Martin joined the GB Pathway Programme and made his international debut in the Hungarian Open. He went on to win bronze medals in the men’s class 6-7 team event at both the Belgium Open and Czech Open with GB Paralympian David Wetherill. “We have bonded very well as a team,” says Martin, “and we have a great relationship on and off the table. David has played at the highest level and being able to feed off his experience is great for me.”

In 2014 Martin won his first individual medal – a bronze at the Romania Open – and showed the progress he has made by taking silver in the men’s class 6 singles at the Cote d’Azur International and bronze in the teams event.

“It’s been a fantastic tournament for me,” he said afterwards. “I’ve picked up some good wins and I think I’ve competed really well. I just need to make sure I push on now and train just as hard as I have been because I’ve seen the results here and the hard work I’ve been doing at home is paying off.”

Martin continued to show improvement in 2015, winning his first gold medal in the men’s class 6 team event at the Romania Open with David Wetherill, and after taking medals in the Czech and Belgium Opens he ended the season with two silver medals at the Copa Costa Rica.

“To come away from a strong Factor 40 tournament with two medals is a great achievement personally,” said Martin, “and to get my biggest ever win over the world number nine makes me really excited for the year ahead in 2016.”

In October 2015 Martin moved to Sheffield to train full time with the GB squad and has since made steady progress, winning the Junior (U23) tournament at the Italian Open in 2016, silver in the Romania Open and finishing the year on a high by taking gold in the men’s class 6 singles at the US Open in Las Vegas.

“I’m over the moon with my first senior title,” he said. “I’m incredibly happy with some of my wins out here; to have beaten the world number 11 for the second time in a row really does fill me with confidence going forward into 2017.”

In April 2017 Martin won his first National title in the men’s class 6 singles and was promoted to the GB Performance Squad. The following month he won his first major medal at his first major championship when he took bronze in the men’s class 6 event at the World Team Championships in Slovakia and in October he was part of the men’s class 6 team that became European champions in Slovenia.

“It’s been great being part of this team,” he said. “Dave (Wetherill) and Paul (Karabardak) have a bank of knowledge and experience that I can feed on and it has been incredible being able to help and support them in any way I can – both in the training hall and by being supportive on the bench. Hopefully that energy transfers onto the table because we are in this together and I think the guys have played amazing throughout. I was down to play in the first match but I wasn’t needed so it shows that we have strength in depth in this team and going forward I’m sure there is much more success to come for us.”

Martin was born without either forearm or the bottom part of his left leg and through his involvement with Drumchapel TT Club, which provides table tennis classes for young people from an area of multiple social deprivations, including those with disabilities, he was selected to take part in BBC programme The One Show’s 700 mile Rickshaw Challenge in 2013 to raise money for Children in Need.

Take 5 with Martin:

Most admired sportsman – Christiano Ronaldo

Ideal holiday – anywhere with a nice beach and plenty of sun to relax in

Three words that describe you best – funny, outgoing, confident

If you had to appear in a reality programme which one would it be – Big Brother

Three famous people (alive or dead) you would most like to have a drink with – Sir Alex Ferguson, Eminem, Nelson Mandela

and finally – Martin has also spent time as a volunteer coaching table tennis in schools and clubs but has put his coaching on hold to concentrate on his playing career